Dube walked in at No. 5 with CSK losing steam through the middle overs, but upped the team’s scoring rate with a 27-ball 66 that helped lift the hosts to 210 for 4. Before his arrival, Jadeja and Daryl Mitchell combined to score only 21 in 29 balls that had allowed LSG to keep CSK quiet from one end.
“Well, obviously Jaddu [Jadeja] is batting at No. 4 and we lost the second wicket in the powerplay. So he was the one to come at that stage,” Gaikwad said. “We have a pretty much clear process and clear thinking and that after the powerplay if wicket comes then he [Dube] will come. You cannot force yourself to get out and ask him to come in.”
Even though Dube had said at the halfway stage that CSK’s total was ten runs above par, Gaikwad said later that he felt the target of 211 was just about par.
“Batting first, we couldn’t have got more than that,” he said. “To be honest, I never thought it was enough, just about par with the kind of dew we’ve been having in the last few practice sessions. I knew it will go down to the last over but credit to them, they batted really well.”
h2>Rahul on beating CSK in Chennai: ‘Super special’
After completing the season double over CSK in the league phase, KL Rahul said LSG’s victory at Chepauk felt “super special.” Rahul also credited Stoinis for his smart batting that shepherded the visitors home.
“Very very special, especially when its a game like that,” Rahul said at the post-match presentation. “A total of 210-plus runs scored on either side. Felt like, for most of the innings when we were batting, we were way behind in the game and just to pull off a victory like that…. super special.
“[Beating CSK earlier] didn’t make a difference, it was a fresh start. Both teams start on zero and there were different conditions here,” Rahul said. “They got off to a really good start here. And put pressure on our bowlers to get 210 on that pitch, I didn’t think it was a 200+ wicket, felt 170-180 was a good total on that pitch.
“They batted well and we didn’t start well, but all credit to Stoinis. The way he batted. Phenomenal to watch from outside. Not just power hitting, but also very smart batting.”
After now suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of Super Giants – and their third loss in their last five outings – CSK have slipped to fifth on the points table after eight games. LSG have climbed to fourth with their fifth win and sit on ten points.